The Eternal Flame (DISCONTINUED)
by Lutarua
Summary: This is a slight AU from the normal Eldarya story, I'd only read the first three chapter when I came up with this. In this story, the world of Eldarya was created by a group of celestial beings, the first humanoid species were angel-like beings called Guardians. When the story takes place, all of Eldarya's monarchies have been destroyed, and the Guardians left the surface long ago.
1. Chapter 1

As I stepped into the circle of mushrooms, I was surrounded by a bright light. I wanted to shield my eyes from the light, but I felt frozen in place, unable to move. I was suddenly floating adrift in midair, getting ready to land on some kind of invisible ground. Without warning, the jewel in my navel heated up, and I was violently jerked in the opposite direction, then thrown to a different place before the light faded.

I was standing in a strange room. It was large and bright… and the only thing within was a large blue crystal that sprouted out of the center of the room like an oversized oak tree out of the ground. I started to step closer, but was stopped by the sound of someone shouting. I turned to see a woman that looked like she was half-fox, angry looking as she started towards me.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" she asked as she drew closer. I was about to answer when we were both cut off by the sound of whispering voices coming from the large blue crystal. At first it was faint, but as we both turned to look, the whispering voice grew louder until it sounded more like a softly spoken chant.

"You hear those voices, too, right?" I said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the voices.

"Yeah… Wait, you can hear them?" She turned to me, speaking a little louder than I'd hoped she would. "How…? Can you understand what it's saying?"

"Sort of…" I listened for a moment. "She's talking about something that… has to do with angels? Something about Minoa?"

"That doesn't sound familiar at all…" the woman sounded surprised. Before either of could continue the conversation, though, a ghostly woman walked out of the crystal. She wasn't wearing any clothing, but she had a multitude of tiny wings riddling her body and a large white ribbon that floated about her, giving her a divine-like appearance.

"Lutarua…" the woman walked over to us, holding her hand out to me.

"'Lutarua?'" I repeated as I took her hand. "But I don't know …. Wait, is that my name? Do you know who I am? What I am?"

"I do, but I don't have the time to explain it. I am too weak to be outside for very long." The woman spoke softly, with an undertone of sorrow.

"Oracle? Why can't I understand you?" The other woman sounded stressed. "Who is this woman? What's going on?"

"Child, you must find a way to go home." The ghostly woman, who I assumed was called the "Oracle," took both of my hands in hers. "Tell your father that I am in danger. Bring the legions, bring Nuilux if you must. Just please, bring help…"

Before I could say anything, she started to disappear.

"Wait, what?" I started to freak out as I tried to process what she had told me. "What are you talking about, home? Who's Nuilux? You know my father?"

"Wait, you actually understood what the Oracle said?" the woman grabbed me by the shoulders. "What did she say?!"

"Miiko?" A masculine voice cut through the room as a tall man with white hair came into the room. "One of the guards has spotted the man that– who's this?"

"I don't know." The woman – Miiko, I suppose – crossed her arms after letting me go. "Take her somewhere while I go take care of the masked man."

"Where?" the man asked as Miiko walked past him.

"I don't know, Valkyon!" Miiko shouted, obviously angry about something. "Just somewhere other than here! Take her to the Forge for all I care!"

"Okay…" the man turned to me. Since he looked like he was strong enough to snap me in half, I decided to just walk towards him, knowing he'd want me to follow him somewhere, if he didn't decide to drag me there by my ear or something. He seemed surprised as he grabbed my arm just above my elbow and led me to wherever he planned on taking me.

He led me to what I assumed was the "forge" that Miiko had mentioned. Once we had reached the room, he let go of me and picked up a few tools.

"So…" I decided to try and ask him a question or two. "Where exactly am I?"

"The Tower of El." Valkyon said calmly.

"Okay… and where is that?" I said slowly, not wanting to annoy him too much. "Are we in one of those government-run cities that Brandon hates so much?"

"W-what?" Valkyon stopped and looked at me seemingly surprised. "No, we're… in Eldarya."

"Oh. I've never heard of Eldarya." I said. "Well, it's not like I've heard of many places before. I don't even know my own name. Don't remember anything past waking up in a strange world and being saved by a human."

"You're from the human world?" Valkyon's face seemed to show more and more shock with each word that came out of my mouth.

"I… I think I am, but…" Unsure of what else to say, I looked down – and saw that Valkyon had a golden colored gemstone in his navel… same as mine, just a different color. "What's… what's that in your navel?"

"Huh? Oh…" He looked down right as I moved my eyes closer to get a better look at it. "I don't know what it is… All I know is that it doesn't ever come out."

"Were you born with it? Does it ever feel warm at times?" I poked it, then stood up straight to look Valkyon in the eyes. "Are you able to make fire, too? Sprout wings?"

"Those are oddly specific questions…" Valkyon continued to use a hammer to pound down on… some kind of sharp looking metal stick. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I have one too." I hoisted myself up onto his work table and sat on the edge, letting my feet swing back and forth. "I don't know what it is, either… though sometimes it starts to glow and burn up. And it doesn't come out – I've tried so many times to force it out. But I am able to make a white fire… and sprout these beautiful angelic wings."

Valkyon had stopped moving, though his eyes were now focused solely on mine. His bright golden eyes seemed to bore into my soul, searching for an answer to some unasked question. He set his tools down and moved a little bit closer to where I was sitting.

"You… have a jewel in your navel?" Valkyon's voice trembled a little. Nodding, I lifted my shirt up just enough for him to be able to see the orange gem that stuck out of my belly. Just as he moved to get a closer look at it, I heard footsteps.

"Uh… What am I seeing here?" an elf with black hair and an eyepatch was standing by the doorway, his one eye filled with shock. Out of habit, I put my shirt back down before this newcomer could see my stone. Valkyon's face was a deep red, and I figured that mine was a similar color considering how warm it felt.

"Valk, Miiko wants to see –" another elf, this one with long blue hair, came down, but stopped mid step once he saw me. "…wants to see the girl that you're obviously doing something with… What exactly is going on in here?"

"N-nothing." Valkyon stood up straight and helped me off the table. "It's best not to keep Miiko waiting."

Without another word, the four of us made our way towards a room with a plethora of books. Miiko was waiting, along with two other men – one that looked like a warthog, and another with a horn on his forehead.

"Good. You're here. Now, let's start with this - what is your name?" Miiko asked the second I walked into the room.

"Uh…" I felt my eyebrows raise as I tried to think of whether or not I should tell her the name Brandon gave me or the name that the "Oracle" had said was my birthname. "Lutarua?"

"It sounds like you don't know what your name is." The man with the one horn and glasses frowned.

"Hey, I just learned what my birthname is." I myself frowned as I snapped at the man. "Up until that woman told me, I didn't even know who I was. First memory I have is waking up in the human world not being able to remember anything."

"Woman? You mean the Oracle?" Miiko asked.

"That's what you called her." I couldn't help but feel angry, though I wasn't completely sure why.

"What did she tell you?" Miiko asked once more.

"Wait, you didn't understand the oracle this time?" the blue haired elf looked shocked.

"She was speaking some other language." Miiko gestured to me. "A language that 'Lutarua' here apparently knew."

"I was speaking a different language?" My frown deepened.

"What did the oracle tell you?" Miiko obviously felt like I was trying to change the subject. I debated on whether or not I should tell her – she seemed a little too angry about all of this.

"That she needed help with something?" I said. "She was in danger or something like that. Something about someone named Nuilux."

"That's it?" Miiko sounded exasperated. "That's all she told you?

"Kinda. She told me my name, then said that I had to –" I started, but was interrupted.

"How did the Oracle know your name?" the man with the horn asked.

"I don't know. How'd she know about my father, or the fact that I somehow live in this world, or how I'm supposed to find out how to get 'home' so that I can tell said 'father' and 'Nuilux' that some strange ghost is in danger of something despite the fact that she is hidden in some gigantic tower overrun with weird people?" I felt the need to vent as I started to pace back and forth. "How'd she know all of this? How is some spirit whose soul resides in a huge stone tree –"

I stopped mid step as I thought about my choice of words. Spirit whose soul resides in a huge stone tree. Soul… stone. Soulstone.

"If she needs help, why not just come to us? The elf with the eyepatch laughed.

"How would I know?" I turned to face him, though I was still thinking about how the word soulstone sounded familiar.

"You know what?" Miiko held her hands up. "It doesn't matter. I want Lutarua to join the Guard of El. Kero, give her the questionnaire."

"Wait, what?" The man with the horn asked. "Why?"

"She can understand the Oracle." Miiko looked at me as she spoke to the man with the horn. "Plus, she seems like she'd be able to do something of use here."

The boys started to protest, saying that I was a complete stranger, that I could be dangerous, yada yada yada. The only one who stayed quiet was Valkyon.

"Enough! I've made my decision." Miiko walked out of the room, the warthog man in tow. After a second, the elves gave up, and left the room as well. Valkyon walked out, leaving me and the man with the horn alone in the library.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, it looks like you belong in the Obsidian Guard." Kero, the man with the horn – actually called a unicorn – smiled as he closed the book he was reading the questions out of. "I'm actually still a little surprised that you understood most of the questions."

"I only remember a little bit of this world." I said from where I sat crisscrossed on the table I looked down with a smile. "Guess I am originally from here."

The only questions I didn't understand were the one about the red cap and the one that asked who I take orders from. I didn't really know how to answer the last question, either, but that one was just because of my indecisiveness. I just figured that the word "Obsidian" sounded better then Shadow or Absynthe.

"So… what now?" I jumped down from the table.

"Well, I guess we go tell the leaders. They're probably anxious to know which Guard you'll be joining." Kero was still smiling.

"Could you explain what the Guard of El is, exactly?" I asked as politely as I could.

"Oh, I completely forgot!" Kero looked surprised. "No one explained a thing to you! Well, I suppose we have time to tell you about the Guard of El."

"Okay, cool." I smiled myself as I sat back on the table.

"The Guard of El are an organization of soldiers, alchemists, and spies that work together to protect the land of Eldarya." Kero started, sitting down in a nearby chair. "It's made up of four subgroups: Shadow, Absynthe, Obsidian, and Light."

"Okay… What type of people are normally in the Obsidian Guard?" I asked.

"Warriors. The Obsidian Guard are made up of the strongest Guards." Kero said. "Valkyon – the one with the white hair – he's actually the leader of the Obsidian Guard."

"Okay…" I processed the information.

"Nevra – the guy with the eyepatch – he leads the Shadow Guard, which is made up of the spies. Ezarel – the elf with the blue hair – leads the Absynthe Guard, the one with all our alchemists." Kero continued. "And the Light Guard is made up of the Guard's elite. Miiko is the leader of that Guard as well as all the other Guards."

"Fun." I smiled. "I think I'm ready to announce which Guard I'm in now."

"Okay." Kero got up. "Let's start with Valkyon – the leader of your Guard. He's normally in the Forge."

The two of us made our way down the stairs and to the same room that Valkyon had brought me to when I'd first arrived. Before we entered the room, however, I'd heard multiple voices, which made me stop. Kero stopped as well.

"Which Guard do you think she'll be in?" I heard a voice.

"Ezarel…" Kero whispered. I suppose he decided to do the same thing I was doing – listen in on their conversation.

"Well, considering how talkative she was, she definitely won't be in the Shadow Guard." Another voice… he sounded like Nevra.

"Great…" Ezarel sounded annoyed. "And since she doesn't even remotely look strong enough to be a warrior, that means she'll be in Absynthe."

"What do you think, Valk?" A different voice spoke.

"Leiftan." Kero whispered again. "He's in the Light Guard."

"I don't know." Valkyon said. "She's probably done taking the questionnaire by now. We should probably find her or Kero and ask them."

"Unless Kero is too busy trying to explain every single question to her." Nevra laughed. I nodded my head towards Kero, who took it as a sign that I wanted to pick this moment to walk in. He started walking into the room, me on his tail – wait, he actually had a tail… bad choice of words – with me following close behind. "Oh! Uh… Hey, Kero."

"Please tell me she's not in Absynthe." Ezarel said as soon as he saw us.

"She's not in Absynthe." Kero smiled.

"What? How?" Nevra looked as shocked as Ezarel probably felt. "Did she just answer the questions so randomly that it put her in the Light Guard?"

"Actually, Lutarua understood most of the questions." Kero was starting to look annoyed. "There were only two that she didn't understand."

"So which Guard are you in?" Valkyon was the only one who addressed me directly.

"Obsidian." I managed to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nevra looked like he just saw me sprout a second head.

"You don't even look like a warrior!" Ezarel looked at me in the same way. Matter of fact, everyone was looking at me like I'd sprouted a second head – even Valkyon.

"It's where the test put her – and like I said, she didn't answer them randomly. So, she's in the Obsidian Guard." Kero spoke for me, then turned to speak to me. "Come on, I'll show you to your new room."

* * *

"Here it is." Kero gestured for me to walk in, which I did. "Sorry it isn't much – it's a standard room for new recruits, but it's a little…"

"Unfurnished." I finished his sentence as I gaped at the empty room. There was a bookshelf, a bedframe, and a crate – all made of wood. "and flammable. One nightmare, and this whole room's going to burn to a crisp."

"Wait, what?" Kero's voice sounded a little scared.

"I have night terrors." I turned to Kero. "And when I have one, I light on fire… and I light whatever I touch on fire as well. They're the only fires I can't control very well."

"Huh." Kero looked at the room again. "Okay… I suppose we can try to find something fire proof. Metal?"

"That could work." I smiled up at him. "I'm immune to heat."

"Okay, I'll try to find a metal bedframe, but I still won't be able to get a mattress." Kero said. "Fire proof mattresses aren't very common, and the ones you are able to find end up costing a small fortune."

"I think I can live with that." I said, thinking back to when Brandon and I were trying to solve the same problem so our little wooden shack wouldn't burn down. "Where's my bag at?"

"I think it's still in the forge." Kero backed up as if about to leave the room. "Wait here, I'll get it for you."

As Kero ran out of the room, I turned and went to sit down on the bedframe. Right as I got sat down, however, a girl with white hair and scaled skin walked into the room.

"Um… do you need something?" I asked, confused.

"No, I just wanted to see the new girl, who I'm assuming is you." She smiled. "I'm Alajea. What's your name?

"Lutarua." I couldn't help but smile back.

"Wait… 'Lutarua?' I had a dream about you!" Alajea looked surprised and excited at the same time.

"What?" I was even more confused.

"Yeah! Another mermaid, at least three times bigger than me – which, by the way, isn't normal – came to me and said her name was Guidone." Alajea started talking as she sat down next to me. "Then she said that a Guardian by the name of Lutarua was prophesied to come back from the human world."

"Well, I did just arrive here from the human world…" I said slowly.

"And she told me that I had to protect her from any danger." Alajea's smile got impossibly bigger. "It was almost like a vision!"

"A vision, huh? I get those on occasion." I said quietly.

"That was the only dream I've ever had that actually told me about the future." Alajea seemed to calm down, speaking quietly as she started down at her hands in her lap. "Papa always told me stories of the Guardians. The first race to ever be created, magical fire beings. Once the other races were created, they were told to protect the younger races, guiding them along the right path."

"Funny… that sounds familiar somehow…" I tapped my chin with my index finger, trying to think of where I'd heard it before.

 _"Pay attention, Luta!" Father turned around to see that I was staring at a butterfly in the distance. "A princess should know her history. You won't learn unless you focus."_

 _"I'm sorry, Father." I heard my own tiny voice. I was only about four or five. "But the butterfly was so pretty!"_

 _"I know, Luta." Father kneeled down in front of me and stroked my hair. "Butterflies are quite beautiful, aren't they?"_

 _One of the butterflies – the same one I was looking at – landed on Father's fingertip._

 _"They are one of the few animals that aren't like any of the races found on the surface." Father looked at the butterfly as its wings fluttered slowly. "The creators couldn't find a way to bring the beauty of this unique creature to a race that did it justice."_

 _"We have wings." I said as I reached out for the butterfly._

 _"Yes. We're the only race that has wings." Father watched as the butterfly flew away._

 _"That's because we live in the sky, Father." I smiled._

 _"It wasn't always that way, Luta." Father looked saddened as he stared off into the distance. "We used to live on the surface. We built great cities with grand palaces and houses for the Creators. Once the other races were created, the Creators entrusted us to guide and protect the younger races, keep them on the right path."_

 _"Why did we leave?" I asked._

 _"The other races weren't created by Nuilux." Father looked at me. "They didn't have the same magic that we had, magic that keep us alive and strong. They started to grow desperate, starting to kill us off to use the powers in our soulstones. Eldora, Nuilux's first apprentice, gave herself away, putting her soul into the soulstone and planting it in the ground, causing it to grow into a large blue crystal that gave the other races the energy they needed to survive."_

 _"If that solved the problem they were having," I started. "Then did they stop killing us?"_

 _"… No, Luta." Father frowned, which made me frown as well. "They continued killing Guardians, hungry for their powers. It got so bad that we were forced to leave. We made spells that raised our cities out of the earth, leaving grand craters as we ascended to join Nuilux here in the Heavens. We left Pavilions in the palaces of the other races, in case they wanted our guidance… but they rarely ask for it."_

 _"When was the last time we've heard from them?" I asked._

 _"Three years ago." Father stood up. "But that's a story for later, when you're older."_

 _"Aww…" I frowned. "Why?"_

 _"It's not a pleasant story, Luta." Father turned to walk away. "Not one you should hear at this age."_

"Where does it sound familiar?" Alajea's voice brought me back to the present.

"My father told me the same story when I was younger." I smiled. "I remember it now. He was trying to get me to pay attention to a history lesson he was teaching me. He was telling me about the creation of the world, and then how we were forced to leave the surface."

"Huh. My papa never told me about how the Guardians left." Alajea pursed her lips. "I just figured they always lived in the sky."

"Ah. Alajea." Kero walked in, carrying my bag. "I see you've met Lutarua."

"I'm starting to remember more, Kero!" I stood up. "I remember my father, I remember some of the lessons he taught me! I even remember one of the nicknames he called me!"

"Really?" Kero looked happy. "What was it?"

"Luta." I smiled as I twirled around the room, laughing a little. "I just feel so happy! I'm finally able to remember something!"

"That's amazing, Lutarua, it really is." Kero kept smiling as he set my bag down on the bedframe.

"Let's start calling her Luta!" Alajea smiled as she took me by the hands and twirled with me. "If we call her by her nickname, she might start remembering more."

"Okay… Luta." Kero repeated my nickname. "I'll leave you two to get to know each other. Dinner starts at 7, Luta."


	3. Chapter 3

"Lutarua, wake up!" I heard a male voice, which made me immediately sit up.

"Wha –?" I looked around the room trying to find the source of the voice. After a second, I saw that it was Valkyon. "Oh. What are you doing in here? Is something wrong?"

"The other leaders want to talk to you." Valkyon looked over at Alajea, who was sleeping on the floor inside a horde of blankets. "What's Alajea doing in here?"

"She wanted to sleep in here last night." I stood up. "Didn't have it in me to say no."

Almost without any other words, Valkyon grabbed me by the wrist and began leading me towards… wherever. Thinking back o what I remembered last night, I decided to talk to Valkyon about it. Considering the fact that he had a soulstone as well, he was probably a Guardian, too.

"I remember what the gems are called." I said slowly, trying to gauge his reaction. "The ones in our navels."

"Huh?" Valkyon stopped and turned to me, not letting go of my wrist. "W-what are they called?"

"Soulstones." I said. "I remember my father telling me about them when I was little. They're the source of a Guardian's energy. They're like the Grand Crystal, except they only power their owner. When our flesh dies, the soulstone is left behind, holding our memories for our descendants to use as guidance."

"That's… quite a bit that you remember." Valkyon frowned.

"Alajea and I talked about it all night. She was hoping that the more we talked about it, the more I could remember." I smiled. "She was right."

"Valk!" Ezarel called from up ahead. "If you two are done flirting, Nevra and I are still waiting on you guys!"

"Right…" Valkyon kept walking again, continuing to lead me towards where Ezarel's voice had been coming from.

He'd led me to some kind of training arena. It was an open room, the walls were filled with either seats or racks with wooden sticks like the metal one that Valkyon had been working on yesterday.

 _Swords. They're called swords._

"Since you are now in the Obsidian Guard," Nevra tossed one of the wooden swords to me. "We wanted to see how well you fight."

 _"Since it's up to me to train you, little sister," Gabe started. "I want to see how well you can defend yourself against a swordsman. Pick a weapon."_

 _Looking around the palace arena, I picked up a dull blade made of white iron._

"Okay…" I said, thinking back to the memory of Gabriel training me.

 _"I want this one, Gabe." I looked up at Gabriel, who was a whole foot taller than me. I was only seven, and he was almost thirteen._

"Cool. Since Ezarel is the least like a fighter, you'll fight him first." Nevra said as Ezarel moved over to the circle that I assumed was where the fights always took place. I moved over to the opposite side of the arena, then went into the stance that Gabe had taught me.

 _"I know you're in a dress, but that doesn't mean that you can't spread your feet a little more – our dresses are designed so that they don't restrict movement." Gabe laughed. I spread my feet as Gabe had said. "You also don't want to keep your back too much – if your back is too straight, it can make it easier for the enemy to hurt you."_

As soon as Nevra said "Start!" Ezarel charged towards me. I was able to dodge to the side so that he passed me by, but before he could completely pass me, I grabbed him from behind and held the wooden sword up to his neck – surprisingly, I was strong enough to hold him there until he gave up. I let him go, but since he wasn't expecting it, he fell to the ground.

 _"The key to a good swordsman – or swordswoman – is to be able to identify the enemies' weakness and exploit it." Gabriel, who was now sixteen, held up his sword. "Take elves for example. They move quickly, but most of them aren't very good at expecting the enemies' moves. The key to defeating one in battle – move faster, more randomly, and be unexpected. It might be good to use a brute force attack, but don't rely on it. They might not be able to expect how one is going to move, but they can detect patterns."_

"Ooh, ouch." Nevra laughed. "Haha… uh, I guess I'm next."

Nevra took Ezarel's place in the Arena, taking his sword. Ezarel called for us to start, and Nevra started circling like a vulture. Guess his fighting technique is a little more detached.

"Definitely not falling for the same trick that Ezarel fell for." Nevra chuckled.

"Hey!" Ezarel shouted.

 _"If an enemy sees you fight firsthand, more often than not they will learn from their ally's mistakes." Gabe said as his friend Zariel swung her sword towards me. "That's why it's key to be unpredictable in the way you fight."_

Straightening my posture only a little, I watched as Nevra slowly moved along the outer edge of the circle. Studying the way he moved, I figured that a brute force attack might be one of the smarter moves here. I shifted to a more open stance. Seeing that the arena's floor was made of sand, I struck the wooden sword into the ground.

Nevra stopped, trying to figure out what I was doing. Seeing an opportunity to catch him off guard, I tackled him to the ground, grabbing his sword and using it to hold him in a headlock.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Nevra patted my arm with is hand.

"'Uncle?' Why are you calling to your uncle?" I said, not letting him go.

"Uh, are we interrupting something?" I looked up to see Miiko standing at the doorway, Jamon, Kero, and Leiftan in tow. Kero laughed at the sight of me holding Nevra in a headlock.

"No, not at all." Ezarel smiled towards Miiko as I let Nevra go. "We were just seeing how well Lutarua could fight."

As Nevra crawled away, Kero walked over to me and held out a hand to help me up.

"And how's she doing?" Kero asked once I was standing.

"Better than I would've expected." Ezarel frowned. "And we haven't even seen how well she does against Valkyon yet.

"Yeah, she said that her family started training her when she was seven." Alajea walked in, a girl with bunny ears following close behind.

"'Seven?!" Valkyon looked surprised.

"That's awfully young." Kero frowned.

"Commonplace in my family." I shrugged. "Since we can't join either faction of the army until we're thirteen, we start training our youth at seven so they can get a grip on which faction they belong to when they come of age."

"Every member of your family joined an army?" Leiftan asked. "That sounds a bit odd. Which army?"

"Duh, the Guardian army!" Alajea put her hands on her hips. "Do you remember which faction you were in?"

"Not really…" I frowned as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

"Well… I've got news." Miiko looked at me. "You're getting your first mission. Alajea and Ykhar are going to Jade Village to investigate recent witch attacks. Alajea has requested that you got with them."

"And you accepted?" Valkyon put his hand on my shoulder. "She just joined."

"I know, but she needs to be part of a team. These two don't have an Obsidian, and she's an Obsidian." Miiko gestured me. "You three leave tomorrow at dawn."

"Yay!" Alajea ran over and gave me a bear hug. "Your first mission! Are you excited?"

"I guess?" I replied, still surprised that she was squeezing my waist. "Can't…breathe."

"Oh!" Alajea let go of me. "Sorry."

"Tomorrow morning?" Valkyon repeated.

"Well, at least we have enough time to get her trained a little." Ezarel rolled his eyes.

"OR…" Alajea smiled at me. "We can get you a new outfit!"

"… what?" All three boys stared at Alajea.

"Think about it!" Alajea turned me around to face them. "She's still dressed like a human! Plus, it's not like she needs training, if se can kick your sorry butts."

"I don't think –" Ezarel started to protest.

"It's decided then!" Alajea squealed as she pulled me towards the door. "Come on, Luta! Ykhar, Wanna join us?"

"Sure!" the bunny-girl smiled as she followed us out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

"It looks a little too…" I looked at the little piece of fabric tat Alajea was holding up. "Revealing. I know I want to show off the soulstone, but… not everything else with it."

"How about this?" Ykhar picked up a dress. It was pink, but it was also long without looking like it would restrict my movement. Plus, there was an intricately designed opening in the abdomen that would show off my soulstone. It had one long sleeve on the left arm, and was held up by a thick strap over the left shoulder.

"I like it…" I looked over the dress as Ykhar handed it to me. It had a slit that went up the right leg, just like the ones back home. "Actually, I love it! Is there a way to tell whether or not it's fire proof?"

"I should be." Ykhar said, looking at the tag. "It's made of Lunar silk, which tends to be stronger than most types of silk… and is known for its inflammability."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go try it on!" Alajea gave me a little push towards the dressing rooms. I walked into the closest empty room, then started to change.

Once I had the dress on, I noticed that it didn't cover my shoulder blades. It was the only thing in this whole store that even remotely resembled What I normally wore back home. I stepped out of the dressing room so that the girls could see it.

"Oh! It's beautiful!" Alajea giggled as she jumped up and down.

"Will you be able to travel and fight in it?" Ykhar asked.

"Yeah." I smiled. "It's normal for women to do everything in dresses where I'm from – even fight."

"Yay! Let's get it!" Alajea said. "Come on, let's go pay for it!"

"Okay…" I followed Alajea and Ykhar as they went over to pay for my outfit. Once we'd payed, we made our way back to the "HQ" as Ykhar called it. Valkyon was waiting by the entrance.

"A… dress?" Valkyon looked surprised.

"It was the only thing that resembled what I normally wore." I gave him a small smile.

"It's cute though!" Alajea smiled as she held me by the shoulders.

"I…" Valkyon looked over my outfit, his eyes stopping to rest on my soulstone.

"Did you need something, Valkyon?" Ykhar asked. "Or were you just waiting for us to get back?"

"Lutarua needs to pick out a sword for your guys' mission." Valkyon gestured for me to follow him, which I did after waving the girls goodbye.

We kept walking, towards wat looked to be the Forge. Once we'd reached the bottom of the steps and were inside the Forge, Valkyon looked at me.

"After your reaction to Nevra walking in yesterday, I'd have figured you didn't want people to know about your 'soulstone.'" He smiled down at me.

 _He has such a beautiful smile…_

"I… That was just out of habit." I looked down, trying to hide the fact that I was blushing. "Whenever Brandon would walk in on me looking at it, I was normally trying to figure out how to get it out."

There was a moment of silence before I heard Valkyon grunt and keep walking. I followed him to a room past the Forge, where there were only shelves filled with different kinds of weapons.

"All of the unclaimed swords are over here." Valkyon picked a small sword up and handed it to me. "How does that one feel?"

"It feels like a sword." I smiled. Valkyon chuckled as he looked away.

"Does it feel too heavy? Too light?" He looked back at me. I turned and swung the sword in the air. It almost moved too easily.

"I'd say a little light…" I handed it back to him. After he put it back in its place, he picked another one up. I almost toppled over when he handed it to me. Seeing that I was struggling to hold it up, he took it from me and put it back as well.

"Okay…" Valkyon looked at the various swords. A light-colored one caught my eye. I picked it up and started looking at it. It was pure white, with runes and ancient styled text engraved onto it. It looked familiar… "That's one I found while on one of my missions. I've never seen any metal like it, and neither have any of the smiths I've taken it to."

Taking a chance, I turned and swung it like I did the first one. It felt perfect.

"It's perfect." I smiled, turning back to Valkyon. He turned and went back into the forge. He came back with a sheath that looked to be about the same size as the sword. He took the sword and put it inside the sheath, then set it next to two other sheathed swords.

"I'll bring it to you and the others in the morning before you leave." Valkyon turned back to me. He looked like he wanted to ask me something.

"Is there something else you need?" I asked, stepping a little closer to him.

"I…" He looked off into the distance, then looked down at me. "You said that you think we might be the same race."

"Yes…" I said slowly, unsure of what he was implying. "We both have soulstones. No other race that I know of have soulstones, other than –"

"Other than… what?" Valkyon's brows furrowed.

"Demons." I said quietly. "They're basically Guardians that were turned into shadows of their former selves, though for some reason they think it's an improvement. You're definitely not a demon – they look more like oversized bat corpses than anything."

"Okay." Valkyon chuckled again.

"I'd have figured that you'd known ever since I told you that I had a soulstone too." I looked up at him as he seemed like he was struggling with what to say.

"I- I figured that, but I…" His cheeks grew red as he tried to talk.

"Hey, Valk!" Nevra walked into the room. He always managed to interrupt peoples' conversations… "You tell her yet?"

"I… no, I haven't." Valkyon turned to Nevra, his face still red.

"Tell who what?" I looked up at Valkyon. If anything, his face grew even redder. "If there's somewhere else you need to be, I can –"

"Nope. There's nowhere else he needs to be." Nevra smiled. "Go on, Valk. Tell her."

I felt my features pinch together as my brows furrowed.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell her." Nevra rolled his eyes – uh… eye. "Valk here –"

"Nevra…" Valkyon frowned. "You don't need to –"

"– is in love with you!" Nevra finished his sentence

"AHHH!" Alajea squealed from the entrance. "He is?!"

Ykhar and Ezarel had both followed Alajea… Ykhar looked like someone just killed her companion.

 _"Gabe, you HAVE to tell her!" I squealed._

 _"Sis, I can't just tell my best friend that I'm in love with her." Gabriel looked down at the ground. "What if Zariel says no, or that she doesn't feel the same way? It would completely ruin our friendship!"_

 _"But… what if she says yes?!" I smiled up at him. Gabe was eighteen now, and was starting to search for a possible bride at Father's request._

 _"What if who says yes?" Zariel walked into my bedroom._

 _"If you don't tell her, I will!" I said, clasping my hands together like a helpless romantic – which I totally was!_

I almost frowned at the memory.

"Why'd you do it for him, Nevra?!" Ezarel was actually frowning.

Alajea squealed again… triggering another memory.

 _I heard my own screams as I saw Father be impaled by Argos' sword. I looked down at my wedding gown to see his blood splattered on it. Gabriel grabbed me by the waist, then shoved me behind him._

 _"Run, Luta!" Gabe pulled out his sword as well as mine. He tossed me my sword right before I took off running._

Alajea squealed again.

"It's just so romantic!" Alajea smiled. Before I could hear anymore of anything, I took off running. I ran completely out of the HQ before opening up my wings and flying towards the rooftop of the highest tower I could find. I landed on the tip, using the metal rod to keep myself upright. Looking up at the sky, I tried to remember what else happened.

 _Wedding gown… Father's blood… running._

I started to scream as I lit on fire. I bent my knees and rolled up into a ball as I started to cry, still on fire.

My father was dead. He was killed at my own wedding ceremony.

 _Wedding._

I tried to think about what might have happened at that ceremony, but my mind was too distracted by the fact that Father was dead and I didn't even remember it until now. I didn't even know what became of Gabriel.

I spent the rest of that night crying while lit on fire. I didn't even come down from the rooftop until dawn.


	5. Chapter 5

"We've been walking for hours!" Alajea groaned. It had been three days since we left HQ… three very awkward days. Despite the fact that they were best friends, Ykhar and Alajea couldn't stop fighting… about me. Ykhar was angry that Valkyon had chosen me and not her. Alajea supported Valkyon's choice, and thought that he and I were perfect for each other.

"So?" Ykhar frowned.

"So… I'm tired. And hungry." Alajea deadpanned.

"I guess we could take a quick break…" I said quietly. My voice was returning, though it still wasn't as strong as before. Spending a whole night screaming and crying can do that to you.

"Yay!" Alajea walked over to a rock on the edge of the path, then sat on it, letting her feet rest. She sighed a breath of relief. Ykhar and I joined her, though we sat on the ground next to the rock. Panthea crawled out of my bag and grew to the size of a small dog, then laid down in my lap.

I was even able to remember more about Panthea – such as how I got her. Mother rescued her from death when I was only a year old. Since Panthea was only a hatchling at the time, my parents had figured that it might be a good idea for her to be my pet. It worked out pretty good, obviously – the small glacier dragon had saved my life more times than I can count.

I still didn't know what happened to my mother, or why I can't remember her. My only memory related to her was staring at a painting of her in the throne room as well as hearing stories about her and Father's adventures. She had white hair, like Gabriel's, and beautiful orange eyes. I look mostly like her, except for my hair. I had her build, her face shape, her eyes… She was even a powerful Magistrate… like me. She had been a Priestess before she disappeared. Father never explained why or how – wait, he did…

 _"Why won't you tell me, Father?!" I screamed with tears in my eyes. I was fifteen. "I need to know what happened to Mother! Why did she leave?"_

 _"Luta…" Father looked at me with those same sad eyes that he always got when I asked. "Fine. I'll tell you. Come, sit down."_

 _With tears still in my eyes, I sat down next to Father. He put his hand on my cheek, wiping away a few of the tears._

 _"Thirteen years ago today, the elf king called from his Pavilion." Father started. "You mother, as well as a few other Guardians, answered the call. It turned out –"_

"Luta!" Alajea's voice, once again, brought me back to the present. I looked up from Panthea to Alajea, who was staring at me with a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

I nodded.

"So how well did everyone sleep last night?" I tried to change the subject.

"Horrible." Alajea frowned. "Ykhar kept arguing with me all night!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that –" Ykhar had kept going, but by that point I'd tuned her out. My focus was across the clearing… at a familiarly shaped shadow. It didn't look like a demon… but it wasn't a normal Eldarian either – and it had been following us ever since we left the city. I scratched Panthea's jaw, telling her that she needed to get up. Looking up, she followed my line of sight. Without warning, she immediately stood up and started running towards the person. By the time I stood up, she'd already tackled the person and was beginning to… lick their face?

Running over to where Panthea and our unknown follower were, I pulled Panthea off and looked at the woman beneath. She had white hair and pale skin. She looked a lot like me – she had my build, my face shape, my eyes… except she looked significantly older than me.

"… Luta?" the woman stood up and took a step towards me. "Is that… you?"

Unsure what else to do, I nodded, then reached out and hugged her waist while burying my head in her neck. She wrapped her arms tightly around me, one hand resting on the back of my head as she buried her head into my neck as well.

"My little Luta… I was so scared I'd never get to see you again." I felt my neck get wet as tears flowed from her eyes. I couldn't help but start to cry myself.

"Mother…" I said at a coarse whisper, though not as nearly as bad as before. She backed away and held me by the shoulders.

"My baby, what's wrong with your voice?" She frowned as she moved one hand to my cheek, the same way Father always did. "Did you lose it?"

I nodded.

"Luta!" I heard Alajea's voice as she and Ykhar ran towards us. "What –!"

"Who's this?" Ykhar looked at Mother with an odd look. "You from the future?"

"Ha! If only." Mother laughed. "I am Lutarua's mother."

"… 'Mother?'" Alajea repeated.

"Prove it." Ykhar crossed his arms.

"'Prove it?' Why should I prove to a bunch of lowly Eldarians that I am the mother of a Princess?" Mother turned to me. "Child, how did you get down here? Your father hasn't let anyone go down to the surface ever since the elf king took me hostage! I didn't realize there were any other Guardians down here until I saw you on the rooftop or that tower."

"If you're a Guardian, can't you sprout wings, like she can?" Ykhar snapped.

"… Fine." Mother stared at Ykhar before letting her wings out of her back… her broken wings. I reached out for them, feeling gently along the break on her left wing. Mother spoke softly as she turned to me. "The elf king broke them… to keep me from being able to go home."


	6. Author's Note

Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't been adding new chapters recently, but I've been super busy with work, school, and helping around the house. However, I should now be at a point where I can upload on a semi-regular basis.

That being said… I've decided to restart the Eternal Flame. As I reread the five chapters that I currently have up, I noticed certain inconsistencies in the story I was trying to tell, as well as "awkward" moments in my writing. I also happen to have gotten just a little bit farther in the game itself (I'm currently about halfway through Chapter 10)… and I'm definitely wanting to include Yvoni in this somehow. I also noticed that I was rushing through the bigger points in the story, she remembered too much too quickly.

I fully intend to have at least 5 new chapters up by the end of March, though I'm still debating whether or not I want to delete the first five chapters and upload the new chapter to this story, keep the old chapters up, or just start a new story. If you guys want to keep the old chapters up, please PM me and let me know!

Side note, thank you flassil and Hobbitlover for the positive feedback )! It's nice to think that someone has read what I've written and has actually liked it! Although, honestly, I didn't fully understand flassil's comment… English is my native language, though I'm able to understand a little bit of French, and even less of Italian.


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